Lanna's Peach Rum Granita

By: Lanna B., Bristow, Virginia

This is an original creation that I threw together over the weekend. It really is a simple, refreshing (and fat free!) dessert for a hot summer night. The mint adds an additional hinted layer of flavor.

Notes

I debated whether to use almond or rum extract. After smelling and tasting the peach puree, I went with the rum. If you're not a teetotaler, you can use the real thing, but you'll obviously need to adjust your liquid content of the simple syrup.

To make a puree, skin the peaches, then blend the peaches with a little lemon or lime juice (this helps prevent browning and adds a little acidity to cut the sweetness). I suppose you could use canned peaches, but why? Fresh is so much better.

The amount of simple syrup does not need to be exact. It is to adjust the sweetness and help create a fluffier granita. I started with 1/2 cup of syrup, but ultimately used about 2/3 of a cup.

Ingredients

3 cups peach puree
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
3/4 teaspoon rum extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 mint leaves

Instructions

Combine sugar, water and mint leaves (can substitute mint basil) in small saucepan. Bring to boil, then simmer over medium heat for five minutes. Discard mint leaves. Remove pan from heat and cool slightly. This creates a simple syrup.
In blender, combine peach puree, lemon juice, rum extract, salt and 1/2 cup simple syrup. Blend and taste. Add more syrup or lemon juice according to sweetness preference.
Pour mixture into shallow, freezer-safe container and freeze for four hours, scraping and fluffing the mixture with a fork every 30 minutes or until mixture is completely frozen.